Suction cleaner



March 3, 1942. v H. 'WHWE -2,274,971

SUCTION CLEANER Fil ed April 24, 1959 3 Sheets-Shed I ATTORNEY INVENTORMarch 3, 1942. H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER Filed April 24, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Hm 22? M7 J, EZMM;

ATTORNEY March 3, 1942. H. B. WHIT'E 2,274,971

r SUTION CLEANER Filed April 24, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheath 83 fix 86 4INVENTOR Harry 1?. While ATTORNEY Patented 4 Mar. 3, 1942 SUCTIONCLEANER Harry B. White, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The HooverCompany,

corporation of Ohio North Canton, Ohio, a

Application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,624

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general andparticularly to a new and novel suction cleaner construction embodyingfloor-illuminating means. invention comprises an improved constructionin which the light source is positioned and carried in a new and novelmanner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedsuction cleaner. It is another object to provide a new and improvedsuction cleaner casing embodying floor-illuminating means. A furtherobject is to provide means in the casing for supporting a light sourceremotely from the suction cleaner nozzle, and means to transmit thelight rays emitted from the light source toward the surface coveringundergoing cleaning immediately forward of the suction cleaner nozzle.Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe specification and claim and drawings; wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a suction cleaner partly in sectionshowing the light source mounted in a recess rearwardly oi the suctioncleaner nozzle and below the top thereof;

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view with parts broken away of the embodimentshown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a suction cleaner partly in sectionshowing another embodiment of the invention, the light source beingmounted in the front wheel pockets of the cleaner casing;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of another embodiment of the inventionshowing the light source mounted towards the rear of the machinealong-side the motor housing and;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view of Figure 6. A

One embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3 and comprisesa suction cleaner having a main casing I6 formed of an outer casingprovided with a nozzle l2 from which rearwardly extends l3 and contouredside skirts l4. The outer casing I is a stamping of sheet metal whichhas its central portion pressed downwardly to form a fan chamber l6 anda rearwardly extending exhaust passageway l6. A bag flange I1 is formedat the rear. end of the outer casing II and to which a dust bag I8 isremovably attached.

More specifically the v a substantially flat top wall ,Cooperating withthe outer casing part II to form the main casing of the cleaner is aninner casing 20 which also comprises a metallic stamping having adownwardly facing nozzle portion 2| formed with a top wall 22, frontwall 23, rear wall 24 ing to a rearwardly extending passageway 26communicating with the fan chamber and having a top wall 21 and sidewalls 28. The nozzle portion 2| is of such size as to fit within theouter nozzle casing l2 and is secured to the latter by a flange foldedover the lower extremity of the nozzle portion |2 of the outer casing Has indicated at 30.

The bottom wall of the air passageway 26 is formed .by a removable coverplate 4| which conforms to the lower edges of the side walls 28 of theinner casing 20. An agitator 42 is mounted in the nozzle and isconnected by means of a belt 43 to an unshown motor driven pulley. Theside walls 28 of the air passageway 26 are spaced from the skirt l4 ofthe outer casing rearwardly of the nozzle 2| to form wheel pockets 44adapted to house the front wheels which are mounted on the outer casingH. Rear wheels 46 are supported on a bracket 41 which is mounted on therear end of the outer casing The forward wall 23 of the inner nozzlelies 6 against the forward wall of the outer nozzle portion l2 asindicated at 3|, and the outer casing II is so stamped as to provide awall portion 32 which is spaced from the inner casing nozzle 2| to forman opening 33 for accommodating a lens 34. The metal 35 which remainsafter forming the projecting wall 32 is bent inwardly of the opening 33to lie snugly against the inner nozzle 2|. The top wall 21 of the airpassageway 26 is recessed or curved downwardly at 36 from the top wall22 of the inner nozzle 2| and extends under and in contact with thebottom wall of the fan chamber l5, and. the surfaces are weldedtogether. The top wall 21 of the suction passageway 26 and the top wall|3 of the outer casing cooperate with the side wall 39 of the fanchamber to define a lamp housing 40 rearwardly of the nozzle l2 andbelow the top wall l3 of the outer casing I l.

A housing 48 encloses a motor 49 mounted on the outer casing II and themotor drives a suction fan 50 and an unshown motor pulley to r0- tatethe agitator 42. Rotation of the fan 50 creates suction to drawdirt-laden air through the nozzle l2 and air passageway 26 into the fanchamber l5 and discharges the dirt-laden air through the exhaustpassageway l6 into the bag l8. A handle 5| H to manipulate beingcleaned.

the cleaner over the surface and end walls 25, the nozzle 2| openismounted on the outer casing.

Mounted on the motor frame 53 is a bracket I4 which extends downwardlythrough an elongated opening 51 in the outer casing H into the lamphousing 40. Mounted on the bracket 64 is a lamp socket 55 and a pair ofcontacts which are connected to a pair of current conducting leads 56connected to a suitable source of current. Supported in the socket 55 isan electrical lamp 58 which is positioned in the lamp housing 40rearwardly of the cleaner nozzle and below the top wall thereof. so thatthe nozzle interferes with the straight line light ray emitted by thelamp to prevent the light rays from striklng the floor coveringforwardly of the cleaner nozzle. The elongated slot 51 is of such sizethe lamp 58 can be removed with the motor 49 as a unit from the cleanercasing.

Arranged in the lens housing 33 is the lens 34 provided with a lightreceiving surface to ad- Jacent the lamp 58 and a light emittingsurface- 6| which is arranged above the lower end of the nozzle l2. Thelight emitting lens surface 6! extends throughout the width of the lamphousing 33 and has tapered side walls 62 extending rearwardly to thelight receiving lens surface 60. The lens 34 is contoured to the outlineof the nozzle and is held in position by the lip 35-021 the outer casingII and brackets 63 welded to the inner casing and abutting the lens 34.

The lens is composed of a material, such as quartz which is adapted tobend light rays by reflection and thus operates to transmit the straightline light rays emitted by the lamp 58 around the nozzle to direct thelight on the surface being cleaned immediately in front of the bypunching out a portion of the metal of the outer casing 65 to provideopenings having side walls 61 and a top wall 68, the punched out metalbeing turned inwardly of the lens housing 66 to provide a lip 69 whichfunctions to hold the lens in position.

Disposed in the two wheel pockets 44 at opposite ends of the nozzle area pair of supporting brackets welded to the rear wall 24 of the innernozzle 2| to support lamp, sockets 10 connected to an unshown source ofcurrent. Arranged in eachlamp socket is an electric lamp II whichextends vertically in the wheel pockets and opposite the inner end ofeach lens housing so as to direct straight line light rays to the lens12. The enscs I2 are curved to conform to the contour of the innernozzle 2| and have their light receiving lens surfaces 13 arrangedadjacent the lamps H below the top wall of the nozzle,'and

' their light emitting lens surfaces It terminate at a point abovethefront nozzle lip so as to illuminate the surface immediately forwardlyof the nozzle.

In the operation of this embodiment the straight line light rays emittedby the lamps II are directed on the lens receiving surfaces I3 and thelenses l2 bend the light rays by reflection around the nozzle onto thesurface covering immediately in front of the nozzle. 5

Referring to Figures 6 and '1 another embodiment of the invention isdisclosed and comprises a suctioncleaner having a casing movablysupported on front and rear wheels 8| and 82 respectively, the cleanerbeing manipulated by means of a handle 83. The cleaner casing isprovided with a nozzle 84 in which is rotatably supported an agitator 85that is rotated by a motor 92 enclosed within a motor housing 86. Formedintegrally with the motor housing along y the opposite side wallsthereof, is 'a pair of elonin applied for is not confined to theparticular combinations of features or elements set out in gated lenshousings 81 which extend from the opposite longitudinal sides of thehousing 89 forwardly of the latter and terminate above the nozzle 84 atthe front end of the cleaner. Each lens housing 81 is formed witha topwall 38 and two side walls 88 which cooperate with the top wall 90 ofthe cleaner casing 88 to form elongated chambers 9|.

Mounted on each side of the motor 92 is a lamp socket 93 foraccommodating an electric lamp 94 in the chamber 9|, and supported inthe latter between the lamp 94 and the front end of the lens housing isa light transmitting lens 95 which is supported in a recess 96 providedin the top by the lamps 94 strike the light receiving lens' surfaces 98,the lenses 95 bending the light rays by reflection throughout theirlongitudinal lengths until it is emitted from the lens emitting surfaces99 so as to illuminate the surface cover.- ing immediately in front ofthe suction nozzle 84.

It is to be understood that the protection herethe following claim.Protection is herein applied for, for any one or more of the features orelements referred to in the following claim, or described in theforegoing specification or shown in the accompanying drawings, eitherindependently or'in combination.

I claim:

A suction cleaner comprising a motor housing and a main casing formedfrom cooperating casing. sections defining a double-walled nozzleadapted to engage the surface to be cleaned,an electric lamp positionedrearwardly of the front of said nozzle and below the top thereof, thewalls of said double-walled nozzle being spaced apart to define anopen-ended passageway opening into said motor and extending from saidlamp in said housing to a point adjacent the forward end of said nozzle,and a solid light-transmitting' element of substantially the size ofsaid passageway supported therein and having one end exposed to thelight produced by said lamp and its other end extending between saidspaced In the operation of this em

